I've started working out at a gym. I seem to have pulled a muscle in my shoulder, and I'm not a happy camper. I had surgery on that shoulder last year and am kind of worried about stressing it. I have bursitis in both shoulders and don't want to make them worse. I'm wondering if you have any info about which machines a shoulder bursitis sufferer should avoid?

There are no prohibited exercises for people with shoulder bursitis - so long as the moves can be done without acute pain. Some people even find that strength training alleviates some of their soreness. However, I would be extremely cautious regarding a shoulder that has been operated on, especially since it was just last year. Also, you need to find out if you have, in fact, pulled a muscle - if so, you need to discontinue upper body exercises until it recovers. So first, check with your doctor or surgeon and make sure that strength training is okay. If so, I suggest you progress more slowly with the shoulder that had the surgery - i.e., lift less weight, move through a shorter range of motion, and increase the amount of weight more conservatively on that arm. It's probably best for you to use dumbbells rather than machines, because it will be easier to use different weights on each arm.